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Because Portland’s game was postponed Saturday, the Sox have elected to leave shortstop Stephen Drew with the Sea Dogs for games Sunday and Monday, thus pushing his return to Boston back to Wednesday’s game against the Orioles. Drew said he could use another eight to 10 at-bats before being activated.
ESPNBoston | Lackey undergoes MRI; Drew pushed back
It's a minor delay, so all in all the Sox injury news sounds pretty good.
The general sentiment around John Lackey is positive (first time you could say that in a while). David Ortiz is now aiming to be at the Pawtucket season opener and rejoin the Sox by the third week of April, which is either a week or two weeks away depending on what end of the week they're talking about.
Of course, I don't care if Drew is delayed for weeks. I'm enjoying the Jose Iglesias Experience every bit as much as I expected I would.
On page 2, the 2013 Red Sox have already provided more positive moments than last year's bunch.
Whoever they are, I already care about them more than last year’s team.I care about the Boston Red Sox.That shouldn’t be a big deal, but after the last few seasons, it most certainly is. And as the Sox prepare for today’s home opener against the Orioles, that’s the storyline that looms larger than anything else. The team you love to hate is suddenly sort of likable.
CSNNE | Winds are changing at Fenway
Of course this is true, but I have a little problem with how generally people refer to the Red Sox as having been so unlikeable for "the last few seasons." As of late August 2011 the Red Sox were the best team in baseball despite carrying the corpse of Carl Crawford around. Their lineup was a juggernaut. They had characters in Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz. They had what seemed to be a core of guys in their prime or entering their prime that would be sustainable for years to come.
That team had a bad month that turned into a bad year, which produced probably the least likeable team I can remember in any sport (granted, I'm not very old, so I'm sure many of you have others to offer).
So we really shouldn't be surprised that this year's version is much better. They got rid of the main problems (Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Bobby Valentine) and injected a little youth and a handful of bearded, tattooed goofballs, and all of a sudden everything looks fine. Point is: We probably shouldn't have made such grand proclamations about hating the Red Sox in the first place. The problem was a few guys, and, for the most part, the problem seems to have been solved.
You know, except for Alfredo Aceves.
ESPNBoston | Red Sox winning games, converts | Orioles-Red Sox preview | Will's thrill almost was even better | No official word, but Lackey upbeat | Globe | Middlebrooks puts on a show | Middlebrooks, Red Sox overpower Jays | Red Sox remain optimistic about John Lackey | Herald | This Red Sox team easy to root for | Will Middlebrooks shakes up Toronto with 3 HRs | Jon Lester off to good start | Today marks the Era of Good Feelings | Cautiously optimistic about John Lackey | Pitchers throw different looks at Jackie Bradley Jr. | CSNNE | Red Sox coming home happy | Middlebrooks mashes three homers vs. Jays

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